Turning Into You
by DarkElements10
Summary: Katie Knight has never had a boyfriend before meeting Patrick Jackson-McGuire. They've been dating for three months and he was nothing but sweet, nice, funny, and charming with just a hint of spontaneity and bad boy in him that made all the girls go crazy. He had everything she looked for in a guy. At first. -Katie/OC. Inspired by the Offpsring song of the same name.-
1. Chapter 1

**Turning Into You**

**By: Rhuben**

**Summary-** Katie Knight has never had a boyfriend before meeting Patrick Jackson-McGuire. They've been dating for three months and he was nothing but sweet, nice, funny, and charming with just a hint of spontaneity and bad boy in him that made all the girls go crazy. He had everything she looked for in a guy. At first. ~Inspired by the Offpsring song of the same name~

**Pairing: **Katie/OC

**Warning: **Rated T for violence and language. Deals with subject of abusive relationship.

* * *

**~1~**

"Can I get you anything while you're waiting?"

16-year-old Katie Knight looked over at the waitress that was standing above her, tapping her French tipped finger nails against the menu in her hands. Katie gave a brief smile, shaking her head as she lowered the phone in her hands.

"I'm ok, I'm just waiting for my b-boyfriend," Katie replied. She stumbled over the word. She wasn't used to the word and she couldn't help but get a wide smile on her face when she thought of it. She had a boyfriend. Her, Katie Knight, had her first boyfriend.

She had never thought something like this would happen to her. How many girls could say that they were dating one of the most popular band members out there? They had only been together for about three months now, but for Katie, it felt like it was just yesterday. It had helped that the two of them have been great friends (if not best friends) over the past few years that, while exciting and nerve wracking, sliding into a relationship had been pretty smooth.

_He _was smooth.

How he asked her out was smooth.

He had come around to the Palm Woods with his usual, cute, lopsided smile in greeting. After a couple rounds of their (flirty) banter—of which she wondered if he was laughing because he was being polite or because he genuinely thought she was funny—he had run out of his witty, yet charming, comments and had inadvertently insulted her. This drove Katie to punching him in the stomach, something she only did when she got mad enough, but was surprised to find that she actually hurt him. Months and months of ab workout

As she watched as he doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach, she instantly felt bad, repeatedly crying, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," before moving to his side to see if he was hurt. He then straightened, wrapping his arms around his middle, his face contorted with pain. She had then asked if he was ok and he requested that she check to see if he was bruising.

And as he lifted his shirt, not only did she have a brief moment or two to admire his toned abs, but also to see that he had writing on his stomach. _Will you go out with me? Yes. No. Maybe_. Complete with a box to check and a black marker sticking out of the waistband of his underwear, the waistband visible from his sagging jeans. She wanted to punch him again and laugh at the same time, but she reached for the marker and instantly checked off the box next to _Yes_.

And the rest, as they say, was history. It's been three great months filled with fun, laughter, a lot of nervousness, and a lot of awkward moments, but they were making it through it together. Surprise to her, she was _his _first girlfriend, too. Hard to believe with how many girls throw themselves at him at any given moment. Hard to believe she hasn't knocked any of them out, either.

The waitress gave her a knowing smile. "Ah," she commented, "so you're Katie." Katie blinked in surprise and the girl laughed a little bit. "Patrick talks about you a lot."

Katie stared at the girl. She didn't know whether to smile or to be worried. What if he talked badly about her? What if he told all of them about all her embarrassing moments around him? He was a famous rock star and he did have so many girls throwing themselves at him. She had been to meet and greets she had witnessed first hand that there was the rare occasion where he would be nice to someone's face and then talk about them behind their back as soon as they left. Hell, she, sad to say, had witnessed her brother and friends doing the same thing.

It was hard to face the harsh reality that all those people came to see them and were excited to meet them and gushed about them afterwards (she got so many Scuttlebutts about her brother by fans) only to know that some of them were talked badly about. She wasn't trying to defend their actions but she saw how hard they worked and the demands that were put on them sometimes all the stress just got to their heads and they didn't think before they talked. And it was human nature, and—

Who was she kidding?

"I'll go get him for you," the girl said, her grin widening. "I'm sure he'll be happy to know that you're here." She then turned on her heels and practically skipped back over to the register counter. She repeatedly slapped the bell on the counter at the front of the restaurant. Katie felt her face heat up as she watched some of the other patrons in the restaurant turn to see what was going on."Hey, Lover Boy! Your girrrllllfriend's waiting for you."

Katie dropped her gaze to her lap, biting her bottom lip as she smiled. She didn't know if she'd ever get used to being referred to Patrick Jackson-McGuire's girlfriend. She liked to think he always treated her differently from other girls and even from their best friend, Lizzie Zevon, despite him knowing the blonde longer.

She liked to think he had a special smile for her and that him constantly seeking her out whenever they were all meeting up to hang out were little ways to show that he cared and that some guy had actually, finally, paid attention to her. Not to say that she got a big head about it, but it made her feel pretty good. Plus, it made _her _seeking out _him_ that much less pathetic.

Not that she paid attention to any of those things.

Katie quickly fired off a text towards Lizzie before sliding her phone into her pocket, getting to her feet as she saw Patrick making his way out of the back of the restaurant, untying the apron from around his waist with one hand, shouldering his backpack with the other. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying to stop herself from smiling so wide as he walked up to her. She gave him a brief wave, lifting herself up onto the balls of her feet for a moment, biting harder on her bottom lip.

"Hi," she greeted as Patrick stuffed his apron into his backpack.

"Hey," Patrick distractedly replied, tugging at his zipper. He clenched his teeth together, letting out a growl of frustration when it would budge. He ripped the apron out of his bag before balling it up against his hip and roughly shoving it back into his backpack before giving the zipper a harsh tug. He gave a brief smile when it finally moved back into place, closing the backpack. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting."

Katie had to stop herself from sighing when she heard his accent reach his ears. Being originally from Sydney, Australia, and having worked in the United States with his band for most of his life, he had easy use over both his native accent and his American accent, sometimes mixing the two in everyday conversation just to see the looks on people's faces. Most recently, he had decided to start using his Australian accent 24/7 and she liked him even more for it.

"No, it's ok," Katie replied, lifting her hand to brush her hair behind her ears. "I could keep myself entertained. I've gotten pretty hooked to Temple Run."

Patrick's eyebrows shot up, and his blue eyes starting to sparkle, but he didn't say anything. "You could've ordered or something…helped out the business you know," he commented, "but whatever." He gave her a teasing smile, bumping her shoulder with his own. "Could've gotten bad breath or whatever. Would've stopped me from wanting to kiss you."

Katie dropped her gaze to the ground, a pleased smile coming to her face. Patrick tucked a finger under her chin, lifting her head and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Now, that was something she just couldn't believe; how someone like him could have thousands of girls chasing after him but he had never had a girlfriend before. And he chose her. And boy was he a good kisser!

Patrick grinned as he pulled back, a faint pink tinge on his cheeks as he smiled at her. He then took her hand and led her out of the store. They walked through the crowded mall, heading towards the exit, and he swung their hands back and forth, humming to himself. Katie looked down at their hands; his bigger hand covering her smaller one, but seeming to fit all the same. She gave his warm hand a gentle squeeze and he smiled at her.

Katie couldn't believe how lucky she was. There were some people that stared at them as they passed, no doubt recognizing the two of them. Some girls had jealous looks n their faces, turning to whisper to each other as they passed. Katie looked after them and then over at Patrick, wondering how all the whispers and stares weren't bothering him. He seemed to sense her distress and gently squeezed her hand back. She moved to rest her head on the side of his arm and he suddenly dropped his head, stepping away from her.

"Smell like French fries," he muttered, giving her an apologetic look. That was something she'd have to learn to get used to. Working at the Cascaded Café during the week meant he'd often smell like fried foods for hours on end. It was pretty bad, but of anything, French fries was something she'd have no problem with. He reached up and adjusted his shirt sleeve, scratching at his shoulder for a moment before scratching the back of his head. "So…how was your day?"

"Boring," Katie replied. "Not much happened. Usual avoidance of stupid boy problems. You know." Patrick made a noise in the back of his throat. "What about you?"

"Six hours of making French fries and greasy burgers," Patrick commented, twisting his mouth to the side. "How does that sound to you?" Katie peered at him. He looked tired and annoyed. She stayed silent. He let out a heavy sigh through his nose before giving her a peaceful smile. "You didn't do anything. Just…wasn't looking forward to working today. Dad's been up my butt about late homework and I have to cover some people and pull some extra shifts and with my music, it just…"

"At least you're having fun with your music again, right?" Katie offered. "It's not being drilled into you o anything?" Again Patrick made a noise in the back of his throat. She wiped her palms off on her jeans, twisting her fingers together. The two of them were silent for a moment, avoiding each other's gaze and Katie wondered if she had said something stupid, but didn't know how to fix the problem.

"Did you miss me that much while I was working?" Patrick finally asked, his lopsided smile appearing on his face.

"You?" Katie asked, her eyebrows shooting up. She snorted before giving him a teasing smile. "Please! Who'd miss you?" Patrick's eyes narrowed slightly as he started back at her. His jaw dropped slightly at an angle before he closed his mouth.

"Shut up, Katie," Patrick replied, deadpan, his upper lip curling slightly.

Katie blinked in surprise. She searched his face and he turned his head away from her. She was sure she messed things up. Normally, he'd only utter those words tossing that cute lopsided smile at her. The smile that made her knees weak and her stomach ache—in a good way. All he had to do was give her that smile and she knew that everything was going to be ok between them. There was no smile. But, she had an ache form in her stomach...and in her throat.

Katie stepped past him, putting a hand to her forehead. She could hear Patrick softly call her name before hurrying after her. He grabbed her arm and she stopped, turning to face him, eyebrows raised. Patrick stepped closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. A perfect fit.

"Sorry," he apologized in a low tone, using his body to push her forward. She fell into step beside him. "It's just been a tough day." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and she smiled.

"It's ok," Katie replied, tilting her head back to look up at him. "I shouldn't have even made that joke. I noticed that you were annoyed."

He stopped walking and slid his hand down her arm, sending shivers down her spine, before taking her hand, spinning her until she faced him and he pushed on her back, pushing her flush against him. "Let's go do something fun."

"Like what?" Katie asked, surprised at how quiet she sounded. She briefly closed her eyes, resting her chi on his chest, breathing in the smell of Old Spice. A smile came to her face as Patrick reached up and ran his fingers through her long hair, sending shivers down her spine and into her toes. She fluttered her eyes open and looked up into his eyes.

Patrick grinned and she felt herself blush again. "Like…let's get No and Lizz and head down to the pier," he suggested. "It'll be fun. Please?" He stuck out his bottom lip into a pleading look. She shook her head, laughing a little bit.

Katie was thinking of protesting, wanting to spend some time alone with him and…to kiss him. She did want to hang out with her friends, but she also wanted some alone time with him. Although, that didn't mean she couldn't tip the Ferris wheel guy to stop their cart at the top.

"Let's go," she replied.

"Right this way, m'lady," Patrick replied, stepping an arm's length away, bowing. He then straightened, offering his arm to her. Katie giggled, looping her arm through his, making their way out of the mall and across the parking lot to where his Jeep sat. "Your chariot awaits." He patted her hand before gently unraveling her hand from his arm, jogging around to the driver's seat of the car.

Katie watched him for a moment as he unlocked the car door, and threw his backpack into the back seat, waiting for him to unlock the door for her before climbing in beside her. She reached behind her and grasped the seat belt before pulling it across her chest. She then turned her head to the right and watched as he settled himself in the driver's seat.

He had gotten his Jeep sent over from Australia (a long 12-16 week wait) to Los Angeles in honor of him passing the driver's license test. Despite the wheel being on the other side of the car, he was well adjusted to driving on the correct side of the road in America. It just took her a little while (and a little while of feeling foolish) of remembering which side of the car to get into. After a while, the short, deadpan comments of "Wrong side" burned into her head and she made it a point to get it right.

"I think you mean _carriage_," she said to him. Patrick looked up from his cell phone, the light casting a warm glow over his face, making his blue eyes stand out even more.

"Huh?" he asked her, a confused look crossing his face. Katie gave him a shy smile. She loved the way his nose wrinkled when he looked confused. It was completely cute and 100% him.

"A chariot is a horse drawn vehicle," Katie explained and Patrick's confused look deepened. "You know, with two wheels?" She lifted a finger into the air, spinning it into a circle. "Romans used it all the time. You're mistaking it with a carriage."

"Right, right," Patrick replied before looking back down at his phone, using his thumb to send off a quick text. "Stupid me." He raised himself up in his seat and reached for his back pocket to reach for his car keys before settling back into his seat. He spun his keys around his finger before sticking it into the ignition.

"You're not stupid," Katie replied with a shake of her head.

"Hey, no one said Prince Charming had to be smart, just handsome," Patrick replied with the Jackson-McGuire family famous one-shoulder shrug. He gave her a smile. "Which works in my favor."

Katie arched an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning to the side to get a better look at him as he started the car. "And who says you're Prince Charming?" she asked with a teasing lift to her tone. Patrick scoffed, quirking an eyebrow in return as he took off the parking brake and shifted the car into drive.

"I wasn't the one who was going all aggro 'bout being the next Princess of England," he replied and Katie twisted her mouth to the side. He had a point.

She wouldn't have even thought about something like that happening had it not been for her traveling to London last summer with her brother, Kendall Knight, her mom, Kacy Knight, and her brothers friends James Diamond, Carlos Garcia, and Logan Mitchell for shows for their band, Big Time Rush. Hell, she never would've thought that those four idiots would make it big, but she got to hand it to them. They could sing and they could dance. She was proud of them.

She had never dreamed that all the years she had to listen to James go on and on about his dream of being famous and marrying a Pussycat Doll that it'd actually come true. But, it was all because of her brother that it happened. If there was anything he had taught her over the years, it was that whatever she set her eyes on, whatever dream she wanted to achieve, she could make come true. In any case, she knew that becoming a Princess as a bit of a long shot, but it didn't hurt to try.

"Hey, every Princess deserves a Prince Charming," Patrick reassured her, pressing his foot onto the brake pedal as he glanced at his phone. He frowned before shrugging, before leaning forward, setting his phone down onto the dashboard of his jeep before glancing both ways, pulling out of the parking lot. "Never settle for less when you can have me; your Screwed Up Prince Charming."

Katie let out a loud bark of laughter. "I don't know," she commented, shaking her head back and forth, "Noah was looking pretty good there for a while."

"We're twins," Patrick replied, looking over at her out of the corner of her eye.

"One of you has to be better looking than the other," Katie replied, mocking him by giving a one-shouldered shrug. It felt awkward and she wondered how they had picked up that trait to begin with. "I think the shy thing really works for him."

"Not funny," Patrick commented. Katie looked over at him and saw that his jaw was set into a look of annoyance, as he tightly gripped the steering wheel with both hands. He let out a breath of air through his nose, leaning back in his seat, dropping one arm into his lap.

"Sorry," Katie said, dropping her gaze into her lap. _Strike two, Katie. One more stupid comment like that and he'll probably just take you home_. She reached out a hand and placed it on top of his. She watched as he visibly relaxed. "Are you ok?"

"What?" he asked, briefly tuning away from the road to look at her.

"What's wrong?" she repeated. "I know you've had a bad day but…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip.

"Just home stuff," Patrick replied with a shake of his head. "Don't worry about it. It's fine, just thinking about all this stuff I have to do." He then gently took her hand and lifted it up to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to it. "Besides, all that matters is that I'm with you right now and we're going to have some fun."

"Ok, but can I make a suggestion?" Katie aked.

"Shoot," Patrick replied with a nod of his head.

"Could you shower first?" Katie asked. "I mean, I love the smell of French fries when I'm eating them. I'm just not a fan of the smell around me all of the time." Patrick didn't say anything, but instead swung up his hand to hit the turn signal, turning on the next road.

"As you wish, my dear," he replied.

"Um, this isn't the way to your house," Katie commented after a moment of silence, glancing at the signs as they rushed past them. "We're headed to—"

"Lizzie's," Patrick finished for her, glancing over his shoulder before merging into the next lane. "Noah was over there today and honestly, you don't want to come to my house. It's incredibly messy, and noisy, and chaotic."

"Not like that's any different than how it normally is now," Katie commented and Patrick chuckled, his deep chuckle.

Ever since Patrick, his twin brother, Noah, and their brother and sisters had moved into their new home in San Marino (a suburb of Los Angeles), it was nonstop chaos in their house. There was barely five minutes without a shout, scream, loud laughter, a crash, a telephone ringing, some kind of alarm going off, loud music, loud tv, and more. It was chaotic in a good way; in this new house they were really getting the sense of what a close knit family was all about. She hadn't seen them so happy.

"True," he replied, "but it's more cluttered than usual. Gustavo's essentially sent the whole wardrobe closet from Rocque Records to Riles to help look through samples for the guys look for the Tween Choice Awards."

One of Patrick's older sisters, Riley Jackson-McGuire, had previously been hired as Big Time Rushs's wardrobe stylist. All of the Jackson-McGuires were hired to help Big Time Rush when they first started out, being contractually obligated to help until the release of their second album. Riley served as wardrobe stylist for any event they attended, for tours, quick performances, even for dates. Her twin sister, Rhuben Jackson-McGuire, was hired as the band's choreographer after Mr. X quit.

Patrick and Noah helped with vocal training and writing songs, the latter of which only came into effect during production of their second album (and one song off their first album entitled "Oh Yeah") and Sydney Jackson-McGuire, the youngest, and resident genious of the family helped teach the boys about soundboards, mixing songs, and helped Gustavo with producing music.

"You think Riley would be able to pick out something for me?" Katie asked, using both of her hands to gather her hair up into a ponytail before fanning her hair out over her shoulders.

She could easily say that she had good friendships with all of the Jacksons, but gravitated towards Patrick, Noah, and Riley the most. Patrick and Noah were her first friends (and first crushes) when she moved out to LA with her brother, and Riley had become an older sister to her. Not that Rhuben didn't, but she and Riley just clicked faster. Plus, Riley was dating Kendall, so she had someone to tell secrets and gossip with, and most importantly to tell embarrassing stories about Kendall to and Riley did the same for Patrick.

Katie wanted to be just like Riley when she got older; pretty, smart, self-confident, laid back. She didn't want to be a performer or anything, just someone that everyone liked to be around. Riley looked out for her when Kendall couldn't, and she liked her nickname from her: "Kid."

The Jacksons had a knack for giving their friends nickname and for the longest time, Katie didn't have one. It kind of upset her until Riley started referring her as that. It kind of bothered her at first, being one of the youngest of their huge group of friends, but it also meant that the older girl was giving her special attention. She truly valued her as a friend.

"Be nice to me and I'll make her," Patrick replied with a teasing grin.

"Oh, I'm sure I have my own ways," Katie replied, a devious grin crossing her face as she tapped her fingertips together. "Besides, I like her better than you."

"Ouch," Patrick commented with a small laugh. "First my twin and now my sister. Just can't win today, can I?"

He let go of Katie's hand and grasped the steering wheel with both hands as he turned the jeep off of the I5 and headed towards Woodland Hills. Minutes later, Patrick pulled up into a long, winding driveway, laying his hand on the horn the whole way.

"Stop," Katie laughed leaning across the center console to hit Patrick's hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Zevon will get mad. They'll sure you for noise pollution."

"Oh, please, they love me, Sweetheart" Patrick replied with a grin. Katie smiled in return. "Plus, they kinda have to with Rhubes dating their son." He then popped his seat belt, allowing it to shoot across his chest as it recoiled into position.

He reached for his phone and shot off another text. Seconds later, the front porch light turned on and the door to the big house opened and a blonde haired girl stepped out onto the porch, waving her hand. Patrick waved back before popping the car door open.

Katie rolled her eyes before climbing out of the passenger seat. She slammed the door shut behind her, and hurried up the driveway, across the walkway and onto the front porch to give her best friend, Lizzie Zevon, a hug in greeting.

"Come on, I've got a whole outfit planned for you," Lizzie said, her green eyes shining in the dimming sunlight before grasping Katie's wrist, pulling her inside. "Perfect for a nice night out like this and—" her nose wrinkled as Patrick stepped up beside them. "Hey, Frenchie, you smell."

"Nice to see you, too, Sweetie," Patrick replied with a roll of his eyes.

Katie looked back and forth between the two of them as Lizzie hit Patrick on the arm before holding her arms out towards him for a hug. Patrick complied and gave her a quick hug. It was part of Patrick's charm and part of his public image for him to be considered the flirt of his band. Because of that, he often referred to girls as "Sweetie" or "Sweetheart" or "Honey" or any other term of endearment he could think of. It was pretty cute to see the elated looks on girls faces, but sometimes it did bother her that she wasn't the only one who he called those names.

Unfortunately, it also meant that he referred to her best friend as those names. She was kind of surprised to be friends with Lizzie; she was outgoing, pretty, popular, and way into fashion. It was no wonder Patrick and Noah were friends with her. She didn't want to be jealous of her friend, but sometimes she couldn't help it. Patrick was a guy after all.

"So, can I use your shower or what?" Patrick asked as he stepped back from Lizzie.

"Sure," Lizzie replied with a shrug. "Do you have a change of clothes or do you need to borrow some clothes from Dak?" Katie felt herself snap to attention at the mention of Lizzie's older brother.

She wasn't made of stone, she, and a whole bunch of other girls on the planet, thought Dak Zevon was one of the cutest artists out in the music industry. Apart from Austin Mahone and of course, Patrick. She had saved him from a whole bunch of crazed, and obsessed fans a couple years back and he had been grateful for it ever since. She couldn't deny that whenever she was at the Zevon house she would keep an eye out for the "Teen Icon."

"I'll just change out of my work uniform," Patrick replied, glancing down at the clothes he had on before shifting the backpack on his back. "I'll leave you two to gossiping, then." He gave a brief tip of his head before heading into the Zevon house, calling his brother's name as he went.

"So, how've you been?" Lizzie asked, pulling Katie into her house before shutting the door behind her. She led the way up the vast, winding staircase, heading to her room. Her voice echoed around the stairwell as did their footsteps. "Sorry I haven't been in touch lately. Dance rehearsals and all that."

"I've been good," Katie replied with a little bit of a smile. "You know, just making my way through school and everything." She hurried up some steps until she was by Lizzie's side. "But, what about you? How have you been since Noah told you those three special words?" Lizzie grinned, her cheeks turning pink. "So, how'd that happen anyway? Not that you haven't told me twenty different times already."

Lizzie giggled before hurrying up the stairs. She crossed the landing into her room and Katie followed her, dropping down onto Lizzie's bed. "I figured you'd been getting tired of the story," Lizzie said with a grin as she crossed her white carpet to her closet. "But, if you're just _dying _to hear the details again, I'll be happy to tell the tale."

"Just get on with it," Katie said with a roll of her eyes, pulling a pillow to her chest.

"Ok, ok," Lizzie called back over the sound of tapping plastic hangers. "We'd just been out of sync lately, arguing about a lot of things."

"Noah?" Katie repeated, a surprised look crossing her face. "Arguing?"

"Yeah, I know," Lizzie replied, turning to face her, planting a hand on her hip. "Everything's fine now, but he took me to the beach and we just walked in silence for a while." The smile came back to her face. "Then he took my hand and said that he had something to tell me. He had apologized for the fighting, he didn't want to be the one to hurt me, and then he just said it. I said it back of course, but it was really sweet, something he would do."

Katie couldn't help but smile at her friend. Noah and Lizzie had been together for about six months now. When she first got the news, it was kind of shocking, but she could see it at the same time. Noah and Lizzie were great together. He was incredibly shy and quiet and she was always spontaneous and looking for the next thing to do. Opposites sure did attract in that regard.

"Yeah, it is," Katie replied with a nod of her head. She then sat up and twisted her fingers together in her lap. "We haven't been going out for long but…do you think Pat will ever say it?"

"Of course!" Lizzie replied, her words dripping with massive amounts of 'duh'. She started pushing hangars back and forth, looking in vain for the clothes. "Girl, the guys' always liked you and I doubt he'd pass up the chance to try and one up his brother."

"Well if he's only going to say it because of _that_, then I'm going to have to make him work for it," Katie commented with a sigh and a teasing smile. Lizzie started laughing. "I don't know, Lizz. Sometimes…I just don't know how to be myself around him. I don't know how to act. Is that normal?"

"Oh, trust me, it is," Lizzie replied, twisting her mouth to the side. She then snapped her fingers. "Oh, I know where it is." She then marched towards the wall by her bedroom door and jabbed her thumb on the white box. "Celeste, did you take the hanger of clothes down to be ironed?"

She then removed her thumb and examined her finger nails as she waited for a response. "_Yes, Miss Elizabeth. I will bring them up right away_."

"My mistake," Lizzie said with a sigh. "I had completely forgotten that I had given it to her." Katie put a hand in the air, shaking her head back and forth, silently telling her that it was ok. Lizzie then jumped onto her bed as well. "So, explain to me more; how do you not know how to act around him?"

"I just say stupid stuff, I guess," Katie replied with a shrug. "Like, on the way over, I knew he was annoyed, but I still compared him to Noah, and said some mean things." She raked her fingers through her hair. "I was teasing of course, but he kind of took it personally. But, we tease each other all the time."

"He's a guy," Lizzie replied as if that answered all Katie's questions. "Trust me, after you see the outfit I've chosen for you, _he's_ going to the be one that doesn't know how to act around you." She gave a dazzling smile. "Trust me."

Katie smiled in return.

* * *

**A/N: **Ok, timeline wise, this is set during season 4 with relationships already established. This is the first Patie fic I've done. It won't be too long, right now I'm aiming for 15 chapters, but it could be shorter. Hope you guys liked this.

Cheers,

-Rhuben


	2. Chapter 2

**~2~**

"Hey, Kid."

Katie looked up from her computer, hands poised over the keyboard of her laptop, and smiled at Riley Jackson-McGuire. "Hey, Riles," she greeted, placing her hands in her lap. "What's up?" She then gave her friend a pointed look. "You done sucking face with Kendall?"

Riley let out a short laugh through her nose before sitting down on the edge of Katie's bed. Katie set her computer aside, facing the older girl. "Is that all you think we do?" she asked.

"It got pretty quiet after the guitars stopped," Katie replied with a shrug and a knowing smile.

Riley's eyebrows twitched but she didn't say anything else for a moment. She then clicked her tongue and gently tapped Katie's shoe. "That's none of your business," she replied and Katie snorted. "What?"

"It's not my business that things seem to be getting serious between you and Kendall?" she asked. "Yeah, right." She then tilted her head to the side. "Don't forget, I got my nosey-ness from you."

"It's not being nosey," Riley replied, briefly making a face before she gave a toothy smile. "It's being right." She then reached out a hand and pushed Katie's head back up straight. "That head tilt is my move by the way." Katie just grinned. "Anyway, I was about to head back home to get Pat to go to the gym. Want to come with?"

"Uh, I don't know," Katie replied, her smile fading slightly. Riley instantly noticed the change in her demeanor and her eyes narrowed slightly. Katie tried to put the smile back on her face.

Of course she'd notice so quickly. It had always scared her how perceptive the older girl was, but at the same time she liked it about her. It stopped her from having to pretend that everything was ok. It also came in handy to know that despite Riley knowing whatever it was that was bothering her, she wouldn't push the situation until Katie was ready to talk.

"What's up?" she asked again.

Katie pressed her lips together, debating on whether or not to explain what was bothering her. It was silly and her dwelling on it was even sillier. She had a great time hanging out at Santa Monica Pier the night before; eating all the junk food, riding the roller coasters, and hanging out in the arcade. It was a perfect way to spend the weekend with her boyfriend and her friends.

Then some guy had started hitting on her and Patrick, rightfully, didn't take it so nicely. Katie had tried to diffuse the situation as best she could; ignoring the guy, giving short answers, telling him that she had a boyfriend, but it didn't seem like any of it had mattered to him at all. Before she knew it, the guy was on the ground with a bloody nose and Patrick had a tight grip on her arm, pulling her away. His jaw was set tightly, she was sure she could hear it popping. All of it scared her, but what had briefly thrown her off was what he had said to her.

"_If you hadn't worn that…if you didn't leave my side…all your fault_."

Katie had looked down at her clothes after that comment, remembering that she had borrowed Lizzie's clothes for the night out. _Maybe they just don't look right on me_, she had remembered thinking to herself at the time. _Or maybe, it's too good_. She had shaken her head, trying to get that thought out of her head before she had placed a shaking hand over his and muttered, "Sorry."

That seemed to have snapped him out of it. Patrick had then moved to stand in front of her, putting his hand on her shoulders, looking into her eyes, the usual warm, look back on his face. His eyes sparkled as if he was keeping a secret or holding back a joke, and she felt herself relax. "No, _I'm _sorry," he replied quietly before giving her his lopsided smile. "Guy kinda deserved it, though. He wasn't respectin' you."

"Well, yeah, but—" she had tried to tell him that she didn't think punching him was a good idea, but he cut her off with a small laugh.

"I mean, did you see his face?" he had asked before removing a hand from her shoulder. He closed it into a fist, his silver rings glinting in the lights that hung from a string from light pole to light pole. He had proceeded to pretend to punch himself in the face, exaggerating the stretch of his face, contorting his mouth, earning a laugh from her. "Total boofhead, trust me."

"Yeah," Katie agreed, nodding her head before dropping her gaze to the ground. "I didn't mean to…it's…not really my fault is it?"

"Course it is," Patrick replied, blinking, his face contorting to an 'Are-you-serious?' look and Katie took a small step back. She had searched his eyes for an explanation and for a while it had been silent between the two of them. He then slowly smiled. "You look that good, don't blame any guy really."

Katie had allowed a rush of air to leave her mouth before punching him on the shoulder. "You jerk!" she cried, although a smile had made its way to her face. "Don't do that." Patrick continued to smile at her and Katie punched him again.

Then suddenly, he had swung up his hand and grasped her wrist. "Don't hit me," he said in a low tone before stepping closer to her, pulling her towards him at the same time. Katie instantly felt bad and had mentally berated herself. _Of course he's not going to like anybody hitting him. Stupid, Katie. That was really stupid._

"Sorry," she said and Patrick had started to shake his head back and forth.

"Hitting _on _me is acceptable, though," he had said, and grinned when Katie had bowed her head, feeling her cheeks burn with a blush. He had then let go of her wrist and shoved her shoulder before he had flicked her forehead, sticking his tongue out at her.

Katie had stuck her tongue out at him in reply just as Noah had shoved an ice pack into his brother's chest. Katie had turned to look at Noah and saw that he had a frown etched deep into his face. Patrick had briefly glanced over at his brother, giving him a nod of thanks before taking the ice pack, holding it to his knuckles. As usual, Noah stayed silent.

"Guy running the funnel cake cart says if you get into another fight, he'll get someone to ban you from the boardwalk," Lizzie had said and Katie blinked in surprise, looking over at Patrick in alarm.

The corners of Patrick's lips twitched by he had merely given his family famous one-shoulder shrug before looking over at Noah. Noah had briefly given a shake of his head, eyes shooting upwards for a brief moment. He then offered his arm to Lizzie, who had happily clutched at his elbow.

"Com'on," Noah said, nodding his head to the side. Patrick had lifted his chin before falling into step next to his brother and her girlfriend.

Katie had stared after them for a moment before hurrying to catch up with them, pulling the strap to her purse up higher on her shoulder. She had reached out her hand and wedged it between Patrick's side and his elbow. Patrick had smiled at her before quickly pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Hellooo," Riley sing-songed waving a hand in Katie's face. "Earth to Katie." Katie blinked, turning back towards the older girl. Katie removed her hand from her wrist, dropping her hand back into her lap. She could still feel Patrick's hand around her wrist, in a tight, yet firm hold. "I'm not going to ask a third time."

"Has Patrick got into lots of fights?" Katie suddenly asked and Riley's eyebrows shot up. "Back home? Here?" She watched as Riley closed one eye as she thought. "Fights that _don't _include Noah."

"Well, none of them include Noah," Riley replied, scratching the side of her jaw. "Not the serious ones, anyway." A hint of a smile came to her face. "Pat makes sure of that. With the two of them, they can be pretty independent, but they choose to spend their time together. It's a way to keep each other grounded, for them to know that they're not alone, that they won't do anything to put each other in harm's way. Everyone thinks Noah needs Patrick, but from what I've seen it's the other wayaround."

"Yes, Pat has gotten into a lot of fights. It's mainly because his big mouth gets him into a lot of trouble." Katie smiled. A far off look came to Rileys face. "He's always held his own though. He learned from video games, copying their moves, just in case Robert got out of hand. He'd be 'next in line' if anything happened to Rhu and I. Personally, I think he takes the whole 'protecting' thing too far at times, but who am I to say that?"

"He's good at it," Katie commented quietly. "He, uh, stopped this guy from bothering me."

"Sounds like him," Riley said with a nod of her head, "especially explains his bruised knuckles this morning and all of the shouting. Ronan wasn't too pleased he let his anger get the best of him." She twisted her mouth to the side. "I'm partially to blame for that." She let out a heavy sigh. "Not until moments like this where I realize what kind of impact I have on the little buggers be it good or bad."

Riley then reached out and patted Katie's knee. "He means well," she said, "just doesn't think before thinking or saying things most times, none of us Jacksons do, really."

Katie thought back to how Patrick had told her not to apologize and that he was sorry. Where was that tough girl who had no problem saying what was on her mind? The girl who would help her brother out despite the consequences? The one who wasn't afraid to stand up to security guards, mean looking body guards, and people like Gustavo Rocque? How could one boy, a boy who was her friend, make her feel so insecure and self-conscious?

"I could've told you that," Katie said, a smirk coming to her face. "You _did_ fall for my brother after all and believe me, that has to require _some_ thought." Riley's eyebrows shot up and she gasped half in shock and half amused. "Just kidding."

"You coming to the gym or what?" Riley asked, getting to her feet. Katie peered over at her, worried that she may have insulted her friend. Riley then gave her a smile, sliding her hand into her jeans pockets to retrieve her keys from her pocket. Katie smiled back; all was forgiven.

"Sure," Katie replied, reaching out to close the lid to her computer. She then climbed off her bed and headed to the closer that she and her mom shared to retrieve her drawstring bag. She quickly filled it with deodorant, a t-shirt, shorts, socks, and tennis shoes before sliding her feet into a pair of flip flops. "Ok, I'm ready."

"Ace," Riley said as she tossed her keys into the air before catching them in her hand. "Let's go." She motioned for Katie to follow her. "I'm taking Katie to the gym, we'll be back later."

Katie's brother, Kendall Knight, who was sitting in the living room, his fingers flying over the frets and strings of the guitar, stopped what he was doing to get to his feet. Gripping the neck of the guitar with his hand, he walked over to Riley, putting his free hand on the small of Riley's back, bending over to kiss her on the cheek.

"See you when you get back, Ruby," Kendall said, calling Riley by his special nickname for her, giving his girlfriend a charming smile. Katie arched an eyebrow at the exchange, trying not to roll her eyes. It was a sweet gesture, but coming from him…it was pretty dorky.

Out of all of Kendall's relationships, Katie could say that Riley and Kendall worked the best. However, she also couldn't forget how happy Kendall was with Jo Taylor. Everything with Lucy Stone was a bit of a fluke, and an idiot move on his part as she was essentially a Riley clone. But, everything worked out for the best and Katie couldn't be happier for her brother. Not that she'd ever really admit that.

"Don't work yourself too hard." Kendall reached his hand up, using a finger to brush a couple stray strands of Riley's hair away from her cheek. "We're still on for fro-yo later, right?"

"Yeah, Dak and Rhubes will meet us at The Grove," Riley replied with a nod as she opened the front door to the Palm Woods. "I'll drop Katie off before, unless she wants to hang out at my place." She then turned a questioning gaze over to Katie. "I'd jump at the chance to be honest with you; dad's making his famous lasagna for dinner tonight."

"Oh, um, sure," Katie replied with a nod of her head before turning towards Kendall. "Tell mom where I am, ok?"

"Sure, baby sis," Kendall replied with a nod of his head. "Have fun." Katie could've sworn she saw an amused look cross her brother's face, but he had turned on his heels and headed back to the living room without saying another word.

_Idiot_, Katie thought to herself before following Riley out of the apartment. They headed to the elevator, rode it down into the lobby, and then made their way out to the parking lot and over to Riley's red car. On the way to San Marino, they sang along to the songs that played on the radio. Or rather, Katie listened to Riley sing more than she sang herself. Kendall was the only one in the family who had the talent to sing. Moments later, they were pulling up into the driveway, and heading into the vast house.

"I just need to change," Riley said, heading to the stairs. She started up, taking the stairs two at a time, her footsteps echoing around the foyer. "Pat should be finishing up with school work, but he should be ready to go. I'll be back in a little bit."

"OK," Katie replied, setting down her bag.

She followed the voices into the dining room and saw Ronan and Patrick sitting at the head of the table, books and notebooks sitting in front of them. Patrick was leaning back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, his glasses perched on his nose. Ronan was pointing at a spot in the textbook in front of him.

"Where did the two battles of the Civil War—that many describe as the turning point of the war—take place and what was the date?" Ronan McGuire asked, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Gettysburg and Vicksburg," Patrick replied, stretching his arms up over his head, "both battles occurred July 4th, 1863."

"Correct," Ronan replied, slapping the table with his palm before smiling at his son. He then reached his hand out and ruffled Patrick's hair. Patrick smiled in reply.

Katie was briefly shocked. Patrick hated it whenever someone messed up his hair. He was like James in that sense…and many other cases. Sometimes, Katie thought the two of them spent too much time together. But, she saw that Patrick looked up to James like an older brother, so who was she to dictate any time they spent together?

"I think you'll be ok for your test," Ronan said as he started to pack up all the books. "But, that's not any different, history's always been your best subject."

"Dates and events are easy to remember," Patrick replied, setting the legs of his chair to the floor. "Important things happen, changing people's lives, good or bad." The smile was now gone from his face and a solemn look had overtaken it. Ronan briefly stopped what he was doing to look over at his son. "Best to remember."

"It's also in important in some cases to forget what's happened and to move on," Ronan quietly replied. Patrick loudly snorted, the smile returning to his face. Only it wasn't of amusement, it was mocking. "I know, right now, you don't think you'll ever forget what's happened, but—"

"Do you think you'd be able to forget it?" Patrick asked quietly, dropping his gaze to the table cloth beneath his fingers. Katie watched as he pinched at the white table cloth, spinning it between his fingers into a tight circle. He looked up at his dad when Ronan didn't answer. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Watch your tone," Ronan said, reaching over to close the textbook in front of his son. The noise getting Patrick to blink, an apologetic look coming to his face. "Look, I know this is hard for you, but things can turn out well as long as you stick to what you've learned over the past few weeks."

"Right," Patrick replied, with a nod of his head. "I'll do my best, dad." His eyes then flickered towards her and Katie quickly stepped away from the doorway. She then sucked in a deep breath of air before letting it out, putting a smile to her face before calling, "Anybody here?"

"In here, Katie," she heard Ronan reply and stepped around the corner and into the dining room. Ronan gave Katie a smile, as he moved the stack of textbooks and notebooks into his arm. "How are you doing? How's your mom?"

"I'm doing fine," Katie replied with a smile, stepping farther into the dining room, grasping the back of a wooden chair, tapping her fingernails against the smooth wood. "Mom's good, too." Ronan gave a nod of his head before heading out of the dining room.

Katie locked eyes with Patrick behind the older man's back and pressed her lips hard together to stop herself from laughing out loud. It was obvious to her that Ronan liked her mom. They often spent a lot of time working closely together; both serving as managers for their kids' bands.

"What are you doing here?" Patrick asked, giving her a warm smile.

As he got to her side, he reached out a hand to brush some of her hair from her face before cupping her cheek with his hand. He tilted her head back slightly and kissed her. Katie reached up a hand and gently grasped a handful of his shirt, kissing him back. Patrick pulled back, fluttering open his eyes before smiling at her, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"Riley drove me over," Katie replied, reaching a hand up to cover his hand with hers, but he quickly pulled his hand away, placing his hand into his jeans pocket. "I'm going to the gym with you guys and then staying here for dinner. I mean, if that's ok with Ronan."

"Hey, Pops!" Patrick suddenly shouted. The loud cry made Katie jump and she swung up a hand to cover her ear. Patrick flinched, taking a step back from her.

"_Yeah?_" Ronan called back, sounding annoyed, and tired at the same time. Ronan wasn't too much older than his kids, but Patrick always made "old man" jokes with Ronan. Ronan took it in stride, laughing about it, and letting it roll off his shoulders. It was just how they bonded. His voice got closer when Patrick didn't say anything else. "_Pat_?"

Katie looked over at Patrick and saw his chest heaving, eyes slightly wide. Katie reached a hand out towards him and Patrick turned away from her, keeping his gaze to the floor. Katie dropped her arm down at her side and watched as Patrick removed his glasses with one hand, using his other hand to run his hand over his face.

"Um, I-is it ok if Katie stays for dinner?" Patrick asked, lifting his voice.

"_Sure, I'll just remember to set out another plate_."

"Cool," Patrick replied with a nod of his head. He continued to nod his head before turning back towards Katie. She gently bit down on the bottom of her lip, staring back at him. "I'll be right back." He reached for the collar of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, brushing past her, hurrying up the stairs.

"Great," Katie muttered, running her fingers through her hair.

"Are you ok, Katie?" Katie jumped, looking around to find the source of the voice. "Down here." Katie got on her hands and knees and saw the youngest Jackson-McGuire child, Sydney, sitting under the table, reading a book. He looked up at her. "You didn't do anything wrong." He used his finger to mark his spot in the book before closing it. "Fast movements still get us sometimes."

"Oh, sorry," Katie replied.

Sydney's eyebrows knitted together, slightly. "You've been saying that a lot lately," he pointed out to her and Katie was taken aback. She had noticed that she had been apologizing for a lot of things lately, she just didn't realize anyone else had noticed. But, it _was _Sydney. He seemed to notice everything.

"I didn't realize," she said.

"Just like you didn't realize I was here," Sydney said, twisting his mouth to the side. Katie gave a brief nod of her head before opening her mouth. "I like sitting down here." He shrugged. "It's like my own little place to get away from it all." He then tilted his head to the side. "Pat's fine, just thinking about mom and dad lately; our biological mom and dad. He's just kind of sad. But, he's happy around you; he talks about you a lot."

"Good things I hope," Katie replied, using a hand to brush her falling hair out of her face.

"If it wasn't, Noah and I would put a stop to him, don't you worry," Sydney replied with his dimpled smile and Katie laughed. But, an odd feeling had hit her when she heard those words. His smile didn't seem to be completely there. "Patrick likes you a lot, you know."

"Well, that's good," Katie replied, "because I like him a lot, too." Sydney smiled even wider before going back to his book. Katie gave a small wave before getting back up to her feet.

She made her way back into the foyer of the house just in time for Riley and Patrick to make their way down the stairs. Patrick grasped his shoes from the pile by the front door before heading outside, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Katie called "bye" to Sydney before following Riley out of the house and back into her car, smiling at Patrick as he opened the door for her.

"I didn't know you were so good at history," Katie said as she slammed the door shut behind her, reaching for the seat belt. I'm impressed."

"Why?" Patrick asked. Katie looked over at him and he genuinely seemed surprised.

"Are you ok?" Riley asked, looking over at Katie in the passenger seat as she swung the steering wheel to her left, directing the car around the small loop of the driveway. "You've been awfully quiet lately."

"She just made me flinch, that's all," Patrick replied, leaning forward, positioning his head in between the driver and passenger seat. He then turned his head so he was looking right at her. "It's ok. I'm fine. It'll take a while to fully get over it, but it's all good." Katie nodded and Patrick tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey." She didn't look at him and he tapped harder. "_Hey_. Look at me." His voice had a slight commanding tone to it.

"I don't want you to be afraid of me," Katie said and Patrick gave her a confused look. Katie glanced over at Riley who was staring out the window of the driver's seat as she stopped the car at a red light. "I didn't mean to…freak you out, and…and you pulled your hand back when—"

"Bruised hand," Patrick replied, holding up his hand. "That's all." He then sat back in his seat. "Stop worrying so much. God!"

Katie settled into her seat, falling silent. Not much was said during the car ride to the gym apart from Riley reassuring Katie not to take anything from Patrick personally. She explained that he just hated it when he made people worry about him. She could see where he was coming from, but at the same time, it was odd. Unless he just didn't want her to get too close.

_That's not true, Katie_, Katie scolded herself as they got to the gym. _He wouldn't have asked you to be his girlfriend if that wasn't true. _She followed Riley into the girl's locker room and quickly changed her clothes, putting her bag into Riley's locker, allowing the older girl to lock her belongings inside before making her way into the room filled with various cardio and weight lifting machines.

"We'll start on the treadmill, or the elliptical, or bike for ten minutes to warm yourself up," Riley said to Katie as she walked over to a treadmill. "And then Patrick will get you going on some weights before taking you over to the bag." She angled her head across the gym where Patrick was standing behind a punching bag, rapidly slamming his tape covered fists into the heavy, swinging bag.

Patrick was the one out of his family who was really into working out and had taken up kickboxing just recently. He also spent his time teaching her some kick boxing moves to help her build up tone. Knowing him, she was sure that he had an underlying reasoning behind wanting to help out, such as spending more time with her, or having an excuse to watch her.

"Wouldn't that hurt?" Katie asked under her breath, watching as Patrick slammed his bruised knuckles into the punching bag over and over again. Whether it hurt or not, he didn't let it show on his face. His features were set into a look of concentration.

"What?" Riley asked, already at a walk on her treadmill.

"Nothing," Katie replied, getting up onto the next treadmill, jabbing her finger into the Quick Start button. The screen flashed 3, 2, 1 before the belt started moving and Katie increased the speed until she was at a jog.

She looked back over at Patrick and watched him give a hearty punch into the punching bag before making his way over to a set of weights, curling and uncurling his fingers, face set into a smirk as if he had just punched someone out.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long to update this. I had some problems at school (which have all pretty much been fixed) and things just kept coming up and I was taking the time to see what I could or couldn't accomplish in this fic with how short it is. Hope you guys liked this chapter.

Cheers,

-Rhuben


	3. Chapter 3

**~3~**

Patrick let out a loud, "Woohoo" as he maneuvered his surf board along the face of the wave. He stuck his arm into the water, up to his elbow, and shifted his body weight. He turned his board up until he was riding the crest of the wave. As he felt himself losing his momentum as the energy of the wave beginning to dissipate, he kicked his board out from underneath him and flipped over the back of the wave.

He heard the dull crash of his body hitting the water moments before he was entirely submerged. He brushed his flopping hair out of his face and squinted opened his eyes, ignoring the brief sting of the salt as he looked around. He lazily swung his arms and legs through the churning water, tilting his head back. He smiled to himself as he watched the waves form above him, gently carrying him in its wake.

Feeling a tug on his ankle, he tilted his head back even farther and saw his surfboard floating above his head, flanked by two others. Two pairs of feet dangled in the water, and a pair of hands reached into the water to grab his leash, tugging on it. Patrick grinned before swimming towards the surface. With a few strong strokes, his head broke the surface of the water and he sucked in a deep breath of air before shaking his hair out.

"Hey!" Lizzie cried, using her legs to push herself away from him, holding her hands up in front of her face. She lifted her arm and used her pink and white floral rash guard sleeve to wipe the water from her face. "Watch it, Flipper."

"Are you calling me a dolphin or a whale?" Patrick asked, kicking his legs in the water, swimming over to his board. He rest his arms on the his board and grinned at the blonde girl.

"Dolphin," Lizzie replied and his smile widened before he made a squealing, clicking sound. She rolled her green eyes before kicking water at him.

"If we're talking about your ego, then definitely a whale," Noah added, deadpan.

"Definitely," Lizzie agreed. Patrick shrugged before lifting himself up onto his board. "I don't know how you can surf in this water without any rash guard or wet suit. You complain about cold weather, but cold water doesn't do a thing?"

"Not if you've been in the water since you can walk," Patrick replied with a shake of his head, scratching his bare chest.

"Besides, you can get out of the cold water," Noah added, his long, wet hair falling into his eyes. "You can't get out of the cold weather."

Lizzie opened her mouth to protest, but Patrick quickly jumped in with, "Cold weather affects everything, every time you go outside, cold water affects the water." He slapped his hands down onto his surfboard and kicked up his legs, pointing his toes, humming happily.

"Yeah, whatever Twinkle Toes said," Noah said with a roll of his eyes.

"You're just jealous that I'm a better dancer than you," Patrick said, spinning so he put his pointed toes in Noah's face. Noah smacked his foot away, setting his jaw, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that's _one _thing I'm jealous of," he muttered. He then glanced at his watch. "One more wave and then we should head in."

Patrick dropped his feet into the water, frowning. "What's up, Buddy?" he asked, concerned. He watched as Noah's eyes flickered towards Lizzie. Patrick scratched the back of his head before turning to face the blonde haired girl. "Hey, Lizz—"

"No problem," Lizzie instantly said, waving her hand in the air. "I've gotta get home soon, anyway. Mom and dad are having this big fancy-shmancy party thing tonight and I have to get my hair and nails done."

"I think you look fine now," Patrick said with a shrug. "Pretty hot, actually."

"Yeah," Noah muttered.

"Well, thank ya, kindly," Lizzie said in the best southern accent she could muster, twirling a lock of her wet, stringy, hair around her finger. She then looked over her shoulder and then at Noah. "We still on for fro-yo later?"

"After your fancy-schmancy party?" Noah asked, raising his eyebrows and Lizzie giggled. "Yeah, of course. Just text me later if you need a jail break."

"Great," Lizzie said with a grin before laying flat on her surfboard. She gave a finger wave before she started paddling, allowing the rolling wave to lift her up.

"So, what's up?" Patrick asked, keeping his gaze on the wave for a moment before turning to face Noah. He lifted his hand and punched his brother on the shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Are you not happy with Katie?" Noah asked, dropping his gaze down to his hands. He rapped his knuckles on his surfboard.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Patrick asked, feeling his nose wrinkle. "Yeah, I'm happy with her. We have fun." He swung his head back, swinging his hair out of his face. He felt and heard the ends of his hair smacking against his back. "Why?"

"Just wondered," Noah replied with a shrug. Patrick gave him a pointed look and he sighed. "I don't know…you still flirt with Lizz a lot." He lifted his head and looked his brother in the eye. "I get that you liked her, or you might still have feelings for her—"

"Don't worry, dude," Patrick said, putting his hand in the air. "You called tag on her. I mean, yeah, I liked her, but…I like Katie more." Noah pulled the corners of his mouth downwards. "You know me, I'm a flirt. I like girls, but I love Katie."

"Do you?" Noah asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Do I what?" Patrick replied as his gaze shifted out towards the beach. He spotted their two girlfriends talking together on the beach. Yeah, he couldn't deny that he had liked Lizzie, but so did a lot of guys. Noah had taken the initiative and asked him to back off so he did.

"Love Katie," Noah replied. "Are you in love with her?"

"I guess so," Patrick said, a smile coming to his face. "I really like her. She's fun, and smart, and stubborn, and easy to tease but she can give it right back." He bobbed his head back and forth and then said with a grin, "And she's a good kisser."

Noah "hmm-ed" his eyebrows twitching. "Just making sure," he finally said.

"I'm not out to steal your girlfriend or anything," Patrick said, his eyes narrowing, "I wouldn't do that to you, Buddy. You know that." Noah nodded his head. Patrick kicked his legs in the water and turned his board around to face his brother. "Noah! Seriously." He swung his hand through the water, splashing his brother. "I can't believe you' think I'd do that"

"I didn't say you would—"

"No, but you implied it," Patrick replied said quietly.

Noah laughed through his nose. "Why wouldn't she want you?" he asked. Patrick blinked in surprise at the bitterness in his voice. "You're always the most outgoing and open one of the two of us. People always like you better because I'm so quiet."

"Believe it or not, people like _you_ better _because_ you're quiet," Patrick deadpanned, rolling his eyes. "I'm not trying to steal your girlfriend and I'm sorry if you thought I was." He sighed. "And I'm sorry if you think I'm out to upstage you."

"That's not what I think," Noah said with a shake of his head.

"Then what _do _you think?" Patrick asked, an edge suddenly coming to his tone. Noah jutted out his jaw, but didn't say anything. "Huh? What is it?" He splashed his brother a second time. Noah made a face before splashing him back.

"Never mind. God!" Noah said with a shake of his head.

Patrick closed his eyes, letting out a long, loud sigh. "Sorry," he said. He didn't sound apologetic at all. "It's just—"

"Your day to meet up with Robert," Noah said with a nod of his head. Patrick nodded, too, smiling. No matter what, no matter what kind of arguments the two of them got into, he was happy to know that Noah could always see past the problem in the moment and figure out what it was that was making him act off. "Yeah, I get it. We all get weird around that time." He then lifted his fist. "No worries."

"Ace," Patrick replied, curling his hand into a fist as well. He stacked his fist on top of Noah's before they swung their arms out to the sides, and then slapped palms, pointing at each other with their index fingers. "Come on. Let's catch one more beauty and then head in." He looked over at Noah and made a face; crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. "Can't keep dear old dad waiting."

Noah let out a deep laugh before he lay down on his stomach. Patrick caught the challenging glint in his brother's eye and turned to see a wave coming towards the two of them. Patrick lifted his feet out of the water and pressed his chest to the cool fiberglass layer of the surfboard.

Crossing his legs behind him, he dug his arms into the water, matching his brother paddle for paddle. The wave lifted the two of them up, higher, higher. Patrick angled his surfboard to the left and jumped to his feet, dragging his fingertips across the top of the water as Noah did the same, going right, splitting the wave perfectly down the middle.

A perfect wave.

As the wave evened out, propelling his surfboard into the shallow water, Patrick relaxed his stance before easily hopping off his board, bending his knees to absorb the impact before grasping his surfboard, holding it up under his arm. He heard a splashing sound and turned to see Noah jogging through the water to fall into step beside him. He lifted his palm and Patrick turned to connect their hand in a high five.

All was forgiven between the two of them.

"Nice wave," Katie said as she lowered her book to dog ear the page. "That was cool when…it made two waves." She started brushing the sand off her legs and the cover of her book, frowning when she kept finding it in more places. She always said that she hated the beach, but he couldn't understand why. There was no other place he'd rather be. "Is there some surf term for that, too?

Patrick grinned. He loved it when Katie tried to figure out how to describe surfing. It was entirely out of her element, but he thought it was cute. And it was good excuse to spend more time with her, to teach her all about surf terms. "It broke in the middle," he explained, tossing his surfboard to the sand before ripping the Velcro leash from around his ankle. He lifted a hand and ran it back and forth over his head. "We got lucky. Wave like that doesn't come up too often." He then held out his hand. "Toss me my shirt, yeah?"

Katie reached towards his backpack and unzipped it, pulling out a gray bundle before throwing it towards him. Patrick caught it in one hand against his chest before he pulled it on over his head. He then bent over and grabbed his hair tightly between his hands, trying to squeeze out as much hair as possible A ringing sound hit the air and Patrick grabbed his backpack, pulling out his cell phone.

"Bollocks, I'm going to be late," Patrick said as he squinted at his phone before holding it close to his face. "No, can you give Katie a ride back to the Palm Woods?"

"Orrrr, you can hang out with me," Lizzie offered with a smile as she used her towel to dry her blonde hair. She then held out a hand, wiggling her fingers. "I'm getting my hair and nails done." Katie closed her book before looking at the fingernails on her hands. "It'll be fun."

"I'm on my way to the studio, either or are on my way," Noah said, drying his legs before reaching into his bag for jeans. "It's no bother." He shook out his jeans before he jumped into them, jumping around as he pulled them up over his legs, pulled up the zipper, and buttoned them. Lizzie giggled as he reached for his shirt.

"A new coat of polish won't hurt, I guess," Katie said, getting to her feet, brushing her hand out of her face. "Only, I don't have enough for it."

"No worries, I'll pay for you," Lizzie said with a smile as she put her towel back into her bag before hiking it over her shoulder. "Let's go, it'll be fun. And give us more time for girl talk. Haven't had a good sesh in a while." She then looped her arm through Noah's as he reached for his surfboard, planting into his armpit before the two of them headed to the parking lot.

"You want to do something later?" Katie asked, grasping the handle of Patrick's backpack, lifting it off the sand to carry over to him. She shook it, trying to get the sand off.

"You're so stupid sometimes," Patrick said with a small chuckle. "You can never really get rid of sand, dum-dum."

"Just watch me," Katie shot back and Patrick laughed again. "So? Video games? Hang out and watch TV or something?"

"I don't know, I might have make-up studio work later," Patrick replied, giving her a smile of thanks as he took his backpack from her. He lifted his surfboard up under his arm before walking around her to take her right hand with his left before following after his brother and his girlfriend—Katie briefly stopping to put her book into her bag, carrying it with her. "Or chores, or homework. I've been putting them off lately. Ronan's really been cracking down me about them."

"Oh," Katie said with a nod of her head as they stepped out onto the warm asphalt that was covered with bits of sand and gravel, pushing up into the heels of his feet. "So, um, what were you and Ronan talking about the other day?"

"What did you hear?" Patrick asked, answering her question with a question. He could feel his heart rate speed up and his hands instantly started to sweat. _Maybe she'll think it's from the heat. It's ok. _Patrick looked over at Katie and saw her biting her lower lip.

"Just stuff about 'forgetting what's happened' and to 'remember what you've learned'," Katie replied before looking up at him. Patrick stared back at her for a moment before relaxing into a smile.

"Just getting used to _not_ working as hard as Robert wanted us to," Patrick replied with a shrug. "I'm just…so used to a heavy course load that I get…restless whenever I have a lot of free time." He then squeezed her hand. "Best thing is that it means I have more time to spend with you." He quickly kissed her. "Just not now, I _really have to get home."_

He then dropped her hand and hurried across the parking lot at a jog to his car. "I'll call you later, I promise," he said over his shoulder to a bewildered looking Katie. "Sorry to bail, but I'm going to be late." He reached his car and reached into his backpack for his keys. Katie crossed the parking lot and over to Noah's car. Noah was sitting on the hood, waiting for her.

"Just go, its fine," she said, waving her hand in the air. "I'll text you later."

"Great," Patrick said with a smile, before throwing his backpack into the back seat before attaching his surfboard to the roof. "See you guys later." He climbed into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut behind him before sticking his keys into the ignition. He gave his friends and brother a quick wave before putting the car in drive. He then pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

Arriving minutes later, he parked in the driveway and reached for the remote to the garage door on his car's visor and watched as the garage door rolled up. He got out of the car and grasped his backpack, sliding his arms through the straps.

He then stood up onto the runner of the jeep and unstrapped his and Noah's surf boards. He used his the end of one of the boards to close the car door before carrying the surfboards into the garage. He set the down onto the floor before pressing the remote to the garage by the door leading into the kitchen. He used his keys to unlock the door as the garage door rolled shut.

"Hey, Peanut," Rhuben greeted Patrick as the smell of popcorn hit his nose. Patrick let out a breath of air through his nose, briefly glancing up at the ceiling. He had no problem being called "Weasel" because, well, he was at times, but he wasn't too happy with the nickname, "Peanut." It all had come from the fact that his initials spelled out PBJ. It was her way as a big sister to get under his skin, so a part of him did have a fondness for it.

It was just that she had started calling him Peanut when he was younger, back when he was 10 years old. He was still small, but he had a big heart and even bigger sense of courage. That was around the time he had started to get a sense of wanting to try and be the "Man of the House" as he got older and when Julius wasn't around. It was when he had started to get into trying to find ways to defend himself and to start developing his muscles. To be called Peanut brought out his insecurities. Out of the two nicknames, it was the lesser of two evils and it was a way for the two of them to connect. He didn't want to take that away from her.

"Did you leave your surfboard in the middle of the garage again?" Rhuben asked as she opened the microwave door to open a bag of popcorn.

"No," Patrick replied, dropping his backpack to the floor. He jumped onto the island, the dampness of his swimming trunks sliding him across the top. He reached for the bowl of popcorn and took a handful as Rhuben opened the newly popped bag to pour into the bowl. Rhuben peered at him before using her hand to brush his hair out of his face to see into his eyes.

With his hair in spikes most of the time, it was hard for people to believe that he had a lot of hair. Way more hair than Noah even. Apart from being in the water, it was a rarity for him to be seen with his hair down in his face. A lot of people joked that he took after James Diamond, and hung out with him too much because of his fixation with his hair. It had actually started years before, he would change his hair style with every album that came out. It was his way of keeping in charge of one aspect of his life, his looks. At least his looks from the neck up.

A lot of people said he got that from James, too. He could agree that he did have somewhat of an ego because of how often he got commented on how good looking he was. It was why he, most of the time, chose not to go out with his glasses. He thought they made him look too dorky and he wouldn't be given the same compliments without them. Truth was, he was just as insecure as the next person. He worked hard to make himself look good so people wouldn't notice all of that.

"Do you want me to go check?" Rhuben half questioned, half threatened.

"No," Patrick replied in the same tone around a mouthful of popcorn. "Besides, isn't it make-out night or whatever it is you call it with Dak?" He gave Rhuben a teasing grin when she blushed, shaking her head back and forth. "Movie-Night."

"Not that it's really any of your business, but yes," Rhuben replied as she grabbed a warm kernel and put it on her tongue. "At least wipe up the water and the sand you're tracking around." Patrick wrinkled his nose, shaking his head. "He's on his way over, in fact." She then peered at him. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to meet up with Robert at Urth Caffe?"

"Thinking about skipping it," Patrick replied, reaching for another handful of popcorn.

"Again?" Patrick nodded his head. Rhuben's eyebrows twitched before she put a hand on her hip. "We covered for you last time and the time before that," she pointed out to him. "Ronan really wants you to go. You know it'll help."

"I don't have anything to say to him, Rhubes," Patrick said with a shake of his head, kicking his legs back and forth. "I didn't before and I don't now." If he had his way, he wouldn't ever see Robert Jackson again for the rest of his life.

At the time, he had thought it would be a good idea to meet up with him after the older man had finished a substantial amount of anger management courses, and he had gone through a substantial amount of therapy. He and his brothers and sisters had all agreed that they would meet with him until they were felt like they had gotten all their questions answered. It really all came up whether or not they were brave enough to ask the questions and ready to hear the answers.

He wasn't. Anytime he had tried, he just flashed back to everything that happened and he got angry. Scarily angry. If you looked in the right place, you could find a hole the shape of his fist in various locations around LA. Not that he didn't go back later and strategically leave a note an money apologizing for the damage and offering to pay for it to be fixed.

"I don't think I will," Patrick replied.

"Yes, you will," Rhuben said, nodding her head and Patrick gave her a look of doubt. "I never said it had to be today or tomorrow." She crushed the bag in her hand before walking over to the trash can. "It could be years from now, but sooner or later, you'll have some to say to him." She stomped on the pedal at the bottom of the trashcan and the lid flew up and smacked the wall behind it. She set her popcorn bag inside before removing her foot allowing the top to fall shut. "Whether it be good or bad, that's up to you."

"Why can't I just stop going?" Patrick asked in a bit of a whine.

"Not like you've been going lately anyway," Rhuben replied and Patrick shrugged. "A part of you obviously wants to go. I mean, these past two times you've always said you'll go, but back out at the lat minute. We're not going to push you though and you know Ronan won't. Go if you want to, don't go if you don't. It's really hurting the both of you how you hold out that long to make a decision."

"And expressing your anger with him isn't a bad thing. I just suggest you find a better way to do it than to punch holes in walls." Patrick shifted his gaze from her. "You don't think I don't notice your bruised and scratched up knuckles? Riles may want to be the doctor around here, but I notice things, too."

"Too bad she failed the MCAT," Patrick said, bringing his knees to his chest and Rhuben made a noise in agreement before making her way to the refrigerator. She pulled open the door and grabbed two 2 liter bottles of soda. One was full, the other almost empty. She whistled and tossed him the emptier bottle of soda.

He caught it with one hand and twisted off the top. Putting the opening to his lips he gulped down the rest of the soda inside it before smacking his lips and letting out a large belch. He mentally calculated how much he'd have to work out to burn it off as he lowered the bottle.

Not that he counted calories or was obsessed with his weight. He was just the one who was solely responsible for work out routines for his brothers and sisters. He was the one that tried the hardest to eat and drink as healthy as he could, but there were times where he just wanted to sit around and have as much junk food and soda as he wanted.

"It's not like you're supposed to take it before college anyway," Rhuben pointed out, "and it was Logan that convinced her to do it." She shook her head. "I mean, he doesn't even plan on taking it for a while now. It just sucked."

"Mhm," Patrick agreed, nodding his head. "But you know, Riles. She always bounces back from his kind of thing." He turned around to face her sitting Indian style on the counter, as she set the bottles of soda onto the table before going back to the refrigerator to grab the bottle of chocolate syrup. He let out a wolf whistle. "Popcorn and chocolate, don't get too kinky with your boyfriend, Ronan's still here."

"Ha ha ha," Rhuben said with a roll of her eyes. "Riles is downstairs if you want to go bug her."

"No, I want to bug you," Patrick replied with a sweet smile a. "I've been falling behind on my daily dose anyway." He suddenly shivered cool air washed over his body. He jumped down from the counter and reached for his backpack. He pulled out a hoodie, pulling it on over his head before reaching for his sandy jeans, stepping into them.

"So, Riles told me that she and Katie talked about you the other day," Rhuben suddenly brought up.

"Good things I hope," Patrick said as he shoved his hands into the sweatshirt pockets. Rhuben peered over at him as he leaned up against the island, facing her. He kept his gaze down on the ground.

"She asked her if you got into a lot of fights," Rhuben replied. Patrick twisted his mouth to the side, starting to play with his fingers inside of his sweatshirt pocket.

"What'd she tell her?" he asked, looking back up at her.

"Just that your arguments come from you opening your big mouth," Rhuben replied and Patrick clicked his tongue, "and that you mean well. She only asked because of how you protected her at the boardwalk." She then lifted his head and ruffled his hair and Patrick leaned away from her, making a noise of protest, lifting his hood to shield his head from her. "I'm glad you did, but you could've handled it a different way."

"Let me guess, Riles got you to talk to me about this because she knew that she'd yell because I let my anger get the best of me…again," Patrick said, crossing his arms over his chest. Rhuben nodded. "Hm. She's gotten smart."

"Can't say that for everybody," Rhuben said, looking over at her.

Patrick's eyes narrowed. "You just built me up—"

"And you still punched that guy," Rhuben replied, looking over at him. Patrick closed is mouth, his eyebrows lowering. "You know what Ronan said and you know what Dr. Angel said."

"Whatever," Patrick muttered, brushing past her just as the doorbell rang.

"Could you get that?" Rhuben called after him.

"Sure, why not?" Patrick asked, his words dripping with sarcasm, "it's not like I have anything better to do." He then made his way over to the front door, and jabbed his thumb into the intercom button by the door marked PORCH. "Who is it?"

"_It's Kendall_."

"Of course it is," Patrick mumbled, before reaching for the door knob. He pulled the front door open and peered over at Kendall Knight. "What?" Kendall opened his mouth and Patrick quickly cut him off. "Actually, never mind, I'll go get Riley."

"I didn't come to see Riley," Kendall said with a shake of his head. "I came to see you." Patrick slowly quirked an eyebrow. "Is that weird?"

"Yes," Patrick replied instantly. "Only a little. I mean, most of the time you only come over here to hang out with Riles."

"That's not true," Kendall said with a shake of his head.

"Yes, it is," Patrick replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, half of the time it is, anyway." Kendall's face turned bright pink. "I don't blame you, I guess. I mean, I always wanted to be around Riles when I was a kid." He tilted his head to the side. "Well, I'm standing right here. What do you want?"

Kendall blinked, taken aback. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"Peachy," Patrick replied. "What's up?"

"Can we talk outside?" Kendall asked.

Patrick gazed at Kendall curiously before stepping out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. Kendall walked over to the porch swing at that corner of the wraparound porch and sat down. Patrick hesitated before doing the same. "Look, if this is about Katie and that guy—"

"It is and it isn't," Kendall replied. "It's about me, kind of." He then gently hit Patrick on the knee. "But, I want to thank you for protecting her while at the boardwalk." A distant look came to Kendall's eyes and Patrick sat quietly, wondering what it was that Kendall had to say. "I don't think I would've handled it any different."

"You wouldn't?" Patrick asked. That wasn't like the Kendall Knight he knew. Kendall was the type to resort to violence, off the ice anyway, as a last resort. Even when he was being picked on at the beach by Tad, he settled things with an ATV race, but Patrick could see that he was being pushed to his limit and sooner or later would've probably went off and hit the guy.

"When it's Katie? No," Kendall replied with a shake of his head. "I try my hardest to look out for her while we've been out here. I know it hasn't been easy for her to pack up her life and move out here with me, Carlos, Logan, or James, so I'm glad she's made a friend in you, Noah, and Lizzie."

"Katie's cool," Patrick said, scratching the side of his jaw. "Why wouldn't I be friends with her?"

"I'm just glad she's been adjusting well out here, despite the fact that I haven't been paying so much attention to her apart from whenever I need her help with plans or whatever," Kendall said, scratching the back of his neck. "I feel terrible about that and I've been trying really hard to change it. I've hated having to leave her out of things, and I know I've chosen to do things with the older kids than with her, but I've always felt that she would be ok with you guys around. So, thank you."

"You're welcome," Patrick replied. "Is that all?"

"No, it's not," Kendall said, shaking his head. "The thing is, what I came here for was to ask you to do me a favor." Kendallran his fingers through his hair, "I just want you to look out for her." Patrick blinked. Kendall bowed his head for a moment, looking down at his lap "When I know I can't. With this third album-"

"No problem," Patrick instantly replied, wiping his hands off on his jeans. He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs, resting his chin on his knees. "I won't let her out of my sight."

"Thanks, man," Kendall replied, clapping Patrick on the shoulder. "I've just been worried about her lately. She seems...off." He gave a small smile as he looked over at Patrick before teasingly shoving his shoulder. "I don't think I've ever seen her happier before she started dating you." Patrick felt his face burn before bowing his head slightly. "I don't know, she's just been more quiet lately. Have you noticed anything?"

"No," Patrick replied, shaking his head before giving Kendall a half smile. "But, I'll look after her for you." He used his hand to brush his hair out of his face. "No worries, mate."

"Just...promise me you'll tell me if there's something I really need to know about," Kendall said quietly.

"I promise."

* * *

**A/N: **So, I went back and forth deciding on whether or not I was going to show things from Patrick's point of view, but I think this fic would make more sense as to why he's acting the way he is if you saw what happened on his end. Hope you all liked it.

Cheers,

-Rhuben


End file.
